Borough of Caldwell & EZ Ride Team up to Conduct Bike & Walk Audit

On April 10, 2019, the Borough of Caldwell, Caldwell School District, and EZ Ride staff teamed up to conduct a Bike & Walk Audit for the Grover Cleveland Middle School.

The Audit is designed to assess the condition of the streets around a school, make recommendations to improve the infrastructure and the environment, with the ultimate goal to encourage and enable students and residents to bike and walk to school.

Two teams conducted the Audit.

The bike team included EZ Ride’s Regional SRTS Coordinator, the Caldwell Traffic Police Sgt., Caldwell’s Head of the Department of Public Works, the School District Superintendent and a staff member, and a Research Specialist from Rutgers Voorhees Transportation Center. They came dressed with bright safety vests, bikes, and helmets.

The walk team included the Director of Social Services, Health Inspector, City Councilwoman, Fireman, two parents, and EZ Ride’s two Assistant Coordinators. To make it more realistic, one team member pushed a baby stroller, and the team also included a senior walker.

The 13 participants split into four groups and evaluated two walk and two bike routes. Each team followed predetermined routes to check the crosswalks, signage, lighting, sidewalks, crossing guards, and ADA compliant ramps.

The Audit started at the end of the school day. The team members witnessed the student dismissal process and observed the traffic before starting the actual audit.

The post-audit session was held at the library to share the findings and the recommendations which were documented by EZ Ride staff. The final audit report could be used by the Borough and School to apply for funding to make infrastructure changes and to get Sustainable Jersey certification points to apply for grants.